بحوث سكوبس — طارق جواد كاظم الموسوي

Research has been conducted on the potential practical uses of heterostructures made of graphene and carbon nitride (NC3) following their successful synthesis. The remarkable gas sensing properties of these 2D nanosheets have captured significant interest, attributed to distinctive electronic characteristics and exceptional surface-to-volume ratio that are resulted from combination of NC3 and graphene. In this study, we present a detailed analysis of electronic and structural features of pristine NC3 and graphene (PG), and their in-plane heterostructures using first-principles density functional theory. Our investigation utilizes the B3LYP and dispersion-corrected van der Waals (vdW) functional WB97XD, along with 6-311G (d, p) basis set. Our findings indicate that the nanosheets we anticipated exhibit robust structural stability, characterized by a desirable cohesive energy. Furthermore, we observed a gradual increase in the bandgap as the concentration of N–C in the nanosheets increases. Additionally, we investigated the adsorption characteristics of these heterostructures towards toxic gas molecules such as SO2 and CO. Among the studied heterostructures, GNC3I demonstrated higher adsorption energy (Eads), with values of approximately −0.283 and −0.491 eV when exposed to SO2 and carbon monoxide gas molecules respectively. Electronic characteristics, including LUMO and HOMO energy values, energy gap (Eg) between HOMO and LUMO, work function, Fermi level, and conductivity, underwent notable modifications upon SO2 gas adsorption over nanosheets, except for PG. However, these parameters remained relatively unchanged following carbon monoxide adsorption. Natural bond orbital (NBO) and Mulliken charge analysis demonstrates that there is a transfer of charge from gas molecules to nanosheets. Although nanosheets exhibit slightly higher adsorption energy (Eads) values for CO gas compared to SO2 gas, various assessments, including molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) mapping, electronic properties, and charge transfer (CT) analysis, suggest that these nanosheets are superior sensors for detecting SO2 gas rather than carbon monoxide gas molecules. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd

This study proposes a preventive maintenance and replacement strategy for photovoltaic (PV) power generation systems, addressing reliability as a key constraint. The research introduces a novel approach incorporating service age regression and failure rate increment factors to model PV equipment degradation. A flexible, non-periodic, and incomplete maintenance model is developed, optimizing maintenance cycles, pre-repair counts, and replacement schedules to balance maintenance costs and equipment availability. The model effectively mitigates the risks of over- or under-maintenance. Comparative analysis demonstrates that the proposed strategy, with an optimal maintenance setting of 0.913, reduces average maintenance costs by 21.4 % and 6.22 % while increasing equipment availability by 0.2411 % and 0.03222 %, compared to an equal-cycle maintenance model without reliability constraints and a model that disregards equipment replacement thresholds. These findings highlight the model's effectiveness in ensuring high operational reliability and economic efficiency of PV plants. The study contributes a novel optimization framework that enhances PV system sustainability by integrating reliability-driven maintenance and replacement decisions. However, it does not consider component correlations within PV systems. © 2025 The Authors

Biogas is essential in our pursuit of sustainable energy solutions, in our journey towards a greener and sustainable future. To become commercially viable, biogas requires purification, particularly the removal of impurities like CO2, so that it meets the fuel quality standards. This study evaluated activated charcoal’s potential as an adsorbent for biogas upgrading. The focus is on its ability to effectively remove impurities such as CO2 in a four-step pressure swing adsorption (PSA) cycle. SEM, BET, FT-IR, and XRD analyses provide insights into its physical and chemical attributes. The study began by examining the dynamic fixed-bed adsorption behavior of CO2 and CH4 at 300 K and 2.5 bar. A numerical model was developed to elucidate the activated charcoal’s dynamic behavior during methane enrichment and CO2 capture, considering both its characterization and the adsorption bed’s geometry. The model was further refined using the extended Langmuir model to enhance the representation of the multicomponent adsorption. A novel approach was introduced by incorporating non-isothermal/non-adiabatic assumptions into the dynamic simulations, thereby providing a more accurate reflection of a PSA system in real-world applications. Aspen Adsorption platform was utilized during dynamic simulations, and the model was validated using experimental breakthrough data. The model assessed how parameters like temperature, length-to-diameter (L/D) ratio, and CO2 content in feed affect biomethane purity. Process optimization of the biogas upgrading was achieved through design of experiment (DoE) methodology, utilizing central composite design (CCD) and desirability analysis. The results demonstrated a biomethane purity level of 99.96% and a recovery rate of 96.22% at a temperature of 0 °C, an L/D ratio of 15, and a feed CO2 content of 30%, underscoring the efficacy of activated charcoal and its capability to meet the stringent fuel standards, thereby positioning it as a reliable material for biogas upgrading. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024.

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a critical step in water splitting, essential for renewable energy systems. This study presented advanced OER electrocatalysts composed of manganese‑cobalt layered double hydroxides (MnCo-LDH) integrated with nickel phosphides (NiP2 and Ni5P4). The MnCo-LDH@NiP2 and MnCo-LDH@Ni5P4 composites were synthesized via layer-by-layer electrochemical deposition on steel substrates. Characterization through X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirmed the successful formation and integration of the composites. The MnCo-LDH@NiP2 and MnCo-LDH@Ni5P4 electrodes demonstrated superior OER activity with overpotentials of 276 mV and 318 mV at 100 mA cm−2, respectively, significantly lower than 423 mV for MnCo-LDH alone. Tafel slopes of 53.2 mV dec−1 for MnCo-LDH@NiP₂ and 60.9 mV dec−1 for MnCo-LDH@Ni5P4 indicated enhanced reaction kinetics compared to 84.0 mV dec−1 for MnCo-LDH. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) showed reduced charge transfer resistance (Rct) for MnCo-LDH@NiP₂ (0.62 Ω cm2) and MnCo-LDH@Ni5P4 (0.77 Ω cm2), outperforming MnCo-LDH (1.01 Ω cm2). These findings along with the results from stability test highlighted the potential of MnCo-LDH integrated with nickel phosphides as highly efficient and stable OER catalysts. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.

This study utilizes the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to prioritize climate change mitigation strategies for coastal regions systematically. The AHP, a robust data-driven decision-making framework, was employed to evaluate five strategies: Mangrove Restoration, Zoning and Building Codes, Seawalls, Coral Reef Protection, and Relocation Programs. The analysis revealed that Mangrove Restoration emerged as the most effective strategy, achieving the highest score of 0.65 due to its significant environmental impact and long-term sustainability. Zoning and Building Codes followed closely with a score of 0.58, showcasing their cost-effectiveness and regulatory advantages. While effective in urban areas, Seawalls ranked third with a score of 0.48, indicating limitations in social acceptance. Coral Reef Protection and Relocation Programs scored 0.46 and 0.38, respectively, reflecting their higher costs and resource intensity. The findings underscored the importance of prioritizing strategies that balance ecological health and socio-economic feasibility, offering actionable recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders. This research identifies key challenges such as balancing ecological health, socio-economic feasibility, and resource limitations. Our framework addresses these by integrating multi-criteria evaluation, presenting novel prioritization insights for climate adaptation strategies in coastal regions. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd

In this investigation, a novel core-shell photocatalyst, denoted as Fe3O4@SiO2/PAEDTC (FSP)-doped MIL-101 (Fe) (FSPM), was synthesized through the sol–gel method and applied for the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA) and pyrocatechol (PCT) in aqueous solutions. Various analytical techniques were employed to assess the characteristics of the core-shell photocatalyst. The resultant nanocomposite displayed specific attributes, including a saturation magnetization of 12 emu/g, a pore size of 1.35 nm, and a surface area of 992 m2/g, allowing for facile separation using a magnetic field. The optimal conditions for achieving highest BPA (%94.2) and PCT (%100) degradation efficiencies were found to be a pH of 7, 50 mg/L pollutant, a nanocomposite quantity of 0.8 g/L, and a radiation intensity of 8 W after 1 h. The BOD5/COD (biological oxygen demand during 5 days/chemical oxygen demand) ratio exceeded 0.4, accompanied by total organic carbon (TOC) and COD removal rates surpassing 85%. The tests conducted on scavenging suggested the formation of •OH, hole, and electron in the studied system. Among these, •OH was found to be the foremost species responsible for degrading BPA and PCT. Stability tests revealed that the photocatalyst could be recycled with a minimal reduction of only 7% during five reaction steps. The energy consumed by the system during different reactions ranged from 10.2 to 27.1 kWh/m3 for BPA degradation and from 10.9 to 29.4 kWh/m3 for PCT degradation at time of 10 to 60 min. Finally, the results of this study showed that the use of all three sources of radiation in the photocatalytic process can effectively destroy pollutants. © 2025 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

[No abstract available]

Purpose: In the present research, shear-deformable modeling is extended for natural frequency analysis of functionally graded graphene nanoplatelets reinforced cylindrical shell. The main novelty of this work is investigating impact of various distributions of the graphene nanoplatelets and amount of them on the variation in the natural frequencies of the reinforced shell. Furthermore, an investigation on the effect of various boundary conditions on the natural frequency responses is presented. Methods: After presenting the effective relations for material properties such as modulus of elasticity, density and Poisson’s ratio, the governing equations of motion are derived based on Hamilton’s principle. The governing equations of motion are analytically solved using the Navier’s technique. The natural frequencies are obtained using a solution of the characteristic equation. Results: The results are verified using a comparative study with results from the available literature. The natural frequencies are presented with variation in significant characteristics and parameters of material composition and geometry. The results show that the highest and lowest natural frequencies are obtained for FG-X and FG-O distributions of reinforcement, respectively. Conclusions: Furthermore, it is deduced that a 1% addition of the graphene nanoplatelets to the pure matrix leads to a 50% increase in natural frequencies of the cylindrical shell. One can use the results of this analysis to arrive at an optimized design of reinforced structures for application in technical equipment. © Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of the Editor-in-Chief. In investigating concerns regarding late-stage authorship changes to this article, the editors reached out to the authors for an explanation. In addition to the concerns regarding the late-stage authorship changes the editors were unable to verify the contribution of any of the added authors and the author responses were unsatisfactory. Tariq J. Al-Musawi, Patrik Viktor, Maha Barakat, and AbdulAali Habeeb Hussein were added to this paper after the first round of revision. Six authors were also removed at revision one. These changes were made without explanation and without exceptional approval by the handling Editor, which is contrary to the journal policy on changes to authorship. The editor therefore feels that the findings of the manuscript cannot be relied upon and that the article needs to be retracted. © 2025 The Authors.

The Journal retracts the article titled “UV and Visible Light Induced Photodegradation of Reactive Red 198 Dye and Textile Factory Wastewater on Fe2O3/Bentonite/TiO2 Nanocomposite” [1], cited above. Following publication, concerns were brought to the attention of the publisher regarding the accuracy of the authorship of this article and the origins of the study [1]. Adhering to our standard procedure, an investigation was conducted by the Editorial Office and Editorial Board. Following communications with the authorship group, the Editorial Office was unable to verify the accuracy of the originally listed authorship and their contributions. Additionally, the authors were unable to provide the raw data necessary to assess the validity and reproducibility of the study. Relevant institutions were also contacted but did not respond to these concerns. Consequently, the Editorial Board has lost confidence in the integrity of the findings and decided to retract this publication [1], as per MDPI’s retraction policy (https://www.mdpi.com/ethics#_bookmark30). This retraction was approved by the Editor-in-Chief of Minerals journal. Shakiba Mohammadhosseini, Tariq J. Al-Musawi, M. Abdulfadhil Gatea, and Davoud Balarak did not agree to this retraction. The remaining authors did not provide a comment on this decision. © 2025 by the authors.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of curcumin on apoptosis and autophagy regulation following spinal cord injury (SCI) in a rat model. Methods: Adult male rats were randomly assigned to three groups: sham, SCI, and SCI + curcumin (100 mg/kg/day, i.p. for 14 days). SCI was induced using a standardized contusion model at T9. Locomotor recovery was evaluated using the Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) score over 28 days post-injury. Histopathological assessment was performed on spinal cord sections using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and Nissl staining. Apoptosis was assessed using the TUNEL assay, counterstained with DAPI. Immunofluorescence staining for LC3 and p62 and Western blotting for LC3-I/II, Beclin-1, and p62 were used to evaluate autophagic responses. Results: Curcumin significantly improved locomotor function in SCI rats, as indicated by higher BBB scores. Histological analysis revealed reduced cavitation and preserved neuronal architecture in the SCI + curcumin group. The percentage of TUNEL-positive cells was significantly reduced in the curcumin-treated group (30.47 ± 10.41%) compared to the SCI group (68.75 ± 12.25%, p < 0.01). Curcumin treatment enhanced autophagic activity by increasing LC3 puncta and reducing p62 aggregates. Western blot data confirmed upregulation of Beclin-1 and LC3-II, restoration of LC3-I, and suppression of p62 expression. Conclusion: Curcumin exerts neuroprotective effects following SCI, potentially by attenuating apoptosis within spinal tissue and enhancing autophagic flux through modulation of key regulatory markers. These findings suggest that curcumin may be a promising therapeutic agent for SCI treatment. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2025.

The limited availability of freshwater necessitates continuous and rigorous monitoring of its quality. In this context, remote sensing data has emerged as a vital tool for capturing detailed characteristics of water bodies and enabling effective water quality monitoring. This study systematically evaluates five machine learning (ML) algorithms for the inversion of chemical oxygen demand (COD) with Sentinel 2 data. These ML algorithms include CatBoost Regression (CB), XGBoost regression (XGB), random forest regression (RF), support vector machine regression (SVM), and artificial neural network (ANN). With regards to predicting COD, XGB shows the best performance with an R2 of 0.85, RMSE of 7.71 mg/l and a MAE of 2.82 mg/l on the training set, and a R2 of 0.84, RMSE of 4.27 mg/l and a MAE of 3.29 mg/l on the test set. From this study's findings, the potential for monitoring water quality in inland water bodies using remote sensing integrated with ML algorithms is illustrated, along with how it can improve decision-making. © 2025 IEEE.

In a comprehensive analysis of the global transition towards renewable energy, the study revealed significant disparities in adoption rates and technological advancements across nations, while also underscoring the potential for an extensive shift in energy paradigms. Utilizing data from the renewable energy map scenario, findings indicate that renewable energy sources could command up to two-thirds of the global primary energy supply by 2050, a stark contrast to the modest 24% contribution predicted by the reference scenario. European Union countries, particularly Denmark and Germany, emerge as frontrunners in this transition, with impressive wind energy integrations and overall renewable mixes. In Asia, rapid strides are evident with countries such as China and India demonstrating an annual growth rate surpassing 30% in solar and wind sectors. The Americas, represented robustly by the United States, Canada, and Brazil, highlight a diverse renewable integration, each varying in their contributions. Meanwhile, Middle Eastern countries, are progressively diversifying their energy portfolios, and while Africa displays potential, the transition is constrained by infrastructural challenges. The study underscores the tangible global momentum towards renewable energy but emphasizes the continued disparities influenced by a myriad of geopolitical, technological, and economic determinants. The outcomes of this research not only elucidate the current state and trajectory of renewable energy adoption but also underscore the critical importance of tailored policies, investments, and collaborations to accelerate this global shift. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd

The study meticulously reviews international growth trends in renewable energy from 2010 to 2022, across various global regions. Utilizing a comprehensive methodology, the study systematically analyzes academic articles, policy documents, and industry reports to offer a holistic understanding of the progression and distribution of renewable energy practices. It scrutinizes the principal drivers propelling the adoption of renewable resources and identifies the prevalent challenges that impede their maximization. The study critically evaluates existing policies, infrastructural advancements, and technological innovations, assessing their effectiveness across diverse socio-economic landscapes. It delves into the environmental and economic impacts of transitioning to renewable energy, underlining the intricate balance between sustainable development and ecological conservation. The role of renewable energy as a pivotal player in climate change mitigation is explored, providing a balanced perspective of its potential to transform energy systems while recognizing the complexities in its widespread adoption. Additionally, the study outlines potential future trajectories for renewable energy growth, offering invaluable insights for policymakers, researchers, and investors. It underscores the necessity of evidence-based decision-making to navigate the intricacies of renewable energy adoption and capitalize on its opportunities. In essence, the research encourages an active and informed approach, guiding the international community towards a more sustainable and environmentally responsible energy future. © 2024

The current study was done by preparing activated carbon from the common duckweed, Lemna minor, after magnetization using Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The resultant product (Fe3O4-ACLM) was employed to adsorb ciprofloxacin (CIP) from the contaminated water, in the batch adsorption mode. The characteristic distinctive features or parameters of the materials utilized were ascertained with the aid of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy–dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM); the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and Barrett–Joyner–Halenda (BJH) analysis, point of zero charge (pHpzc), and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) were also used. From the results, it was clear that when the initial CIP concentration was 25 mg/L, and pH was 3, in the presence of Fe3O4-ACLM in a 0.75 g/L dosage, and contact time of 75 min, 100% removal percentage was achieved. However, the adsorbent recycling and reuse tests demonstrated that in just six periods of adsorbent use a marginal 8.5% decrease was noted in the adsorbent efficiency. The Fe3O4-ACLM was observed to show super-paramagnetic behavior with 37.6 emu/g saturation magnetization. Four models namely the Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin–Radushkevich (D-R), and Temkin isotherms were used for the adsorption isotherm studies. From the results of the goodness-of-fit parameters, the Langmuir isotherm revealed greater consistency with the equilibrium data, demonstrating maximum adsorption capacities of 134.2, 149.5, 161.4, and 178.7 mg/g at temperatures of 20, 30, 40, and 50 °C, respectively. Further, the CIP adsorption onto the Fe3O4-ACLM surface was, by nature, endothermic and spontaneous, according to the thermodynamic study. In conclusion, the Fe3O4-ACLM was proven to be efficient, recyclable, and excellent as an alternative adsorbent capable of CIP antibiotic removal from contaminated water. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

Contaminationwith pharmaceutical compounds, especially antibiotics, has become the focus of pollution control studies because of their high toxicity and difficulty in removing from aqueous media. In this study, activated carbon was prepared from Azolla filiculoides (ACAF) and magnetized using Fe3O4; finally, its further stabilization was done using ZnO nanoparticles (ACAF/Fe3O4/ZnO). The prepared adsorbent was used to remove ciprofloxacin (CIP) antibiotic from an aqueous solution. The adsorption–desorption process was performed in six consecutive runs, and only an 8% reduction was observed in the efficiency. Various parameters such as temperature, contact time, initial CIP concentration, nanocomposite concentration, and pH were examined. The results showed that removal of 100% was obtained at 75 min contact time for a CIP concentration of 10 mg/L at the optimum pH of 5 and temperature of 30 °C. The surface area and size of the nanocomposite were studied, which were equal to 1401 m2 g−1 and 2.26 nm, respectively. Also, the nanocomposite had a saturated magnetic property equal to 21.5 emu g−1. Equilibrium data were analyzed using four isothermal models and four kinetic models, and four error coefficient models were used to ensure. Due to the high regression coefficient and lower error coefficient, the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetic model were more consistent with equilibrium data. Moreover, the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent according to the Langmuir model was equal to 147.7, 153.3, 165.6, and 178.8 mg/g at temperatures of 20, 30, 40, and 50 °C. Examination of thermodynamic quantities shows that ΔG° is negative and ΔH° is positive. Therefore, the adsorption occurs optimally and spontaneously and has endothermic nature. Finally, this study shows a sustainable and commercially viable route for the use of environmentally friendly compounds. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2022.

In the conditions of corona disease, the need for antibiotics in the world has quadrupled, so it is required to remove their residues from the environment. A core–shell metal–organic framework (MOF) composed of Fe3O4, SiO2, and MIL-101 was synthesized by hydrothermal method and used as a sonophotocatalyst for the amoxicillin (AMX) degradation from aqueous solution. The features of the new MOF were determined by SEM, TEM, XRD, FTIR, and BET techniques. The specific area of core–shell magnetic particles was 992 m2/g, which was indicative of its usability to adsorb pollutants and photons. Complete degradation of AMX was achieved by sonophotocatalysis process based on prepared nanocomposite at pH of 5, UV intensity of 36 W, AMX concentration of 50 mg/L, US frequency of 36 kHz, and time of 25 min. Kinetic study with pseudo-first order reaction for the decomposition of AMX showed the order of kinetic constant rate as Ksonophotocatalytic > Kphotocatalytic > Ksonocatalytic > Kadsorption. Hydroxyl radicals (•OH) and holes (h+) were respectively determined as the main species in the decomposition of AMX by performing quenching experiments. Less than an 8% reduction in AMX degradation rate was observed by the sonophotocatalytic process in the presence of prepared nanocomposite during six consecutive reaction cycles. Removal rates of TOC > 77% and BOD5/COD ratio > 0.4 showed that AMX was converted to CO2, H2O, and simple degradable compounds during the sonophotocatalysis process. A toxicity study with the microbial culture of Escherichia coli (E. coli) demonstrated a lower inhibition rate in the sonophotocatalytic process compared to photolysis and photocatalytic processes. All the laboratory results proved that the Fe3O4@SiO2@MIL-101(Fe) is an encouraging candidate for AMX degradation to preserve the ecosystem. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

This study involved the preparation of magnetized activated carbon (Fe3O4–HSAC) by first activating hazelnut shell waste, followed by coating it by Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The Fe3O4–HSAC thus prepared was evaluated as an adsorbent possessing the potential for fluoride to elimination, under a variety of conditions. From the findings, it is evident that by using the Fe3O4–HSAC as an adsorbent 100% fluoride removal could be accomplished under the optimum conditions cited (adsorbent dose = 0.75 g/L; pH = 3–5; and temperature = 323 K). The Halsey and Freundlich isotherm models both concurred strongly with the equilibrium adsorption data, and from the results of the Langmuir model, the maximum adsorption capacity was achieved at 146.2 mg/g when the temperature was 298 K and pH was 5. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model offered the best explanation for the adsorption process. Besides, both the intra-particle diffusion and liquid film diffusion models were found to control the kinetic mechanism of the fluoride adsorption onto the Fe3O4–HSAC. The quantity of adsorption energy provided using the Dubinin–Radushkevich model was 4.59 kJ/mol, indicating that the physical adsorption was predominant. Further, the negative values of Gibbs free energy change (ΔG° = -2.73 to -8.11 kJ/mol at temperature = 288 to 318 K, respectively) and the positive values of enthalpy change (ΔH° = 56.01 kJ/mol) and entropy change (ΔS° = 0.198 kJ/mol. K) suggest that the nature of the adsorption thermodynamics is endothermic, spontaneous, and physical. From this study, the observation of the outstanding performance of the Fe3O4–HSAC helped to conclude that this is a material of promise as a treatment agent in the fluoride elimination from contaminated water and wastewater. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

A novel layered double hydroxide nanocomposite, Fe3O4-SiO2-EN@Zn-Al-LDH, was synthesized and employed as a photocatalyst for the degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) in aqueous solutions. Characterization of the photocatalyst was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) techniques. The results indicated successful synthesis of particle with specific surface area of 28.67 m²/g, pore size of 1.64 nm, and pore volume of 6.58 cm³/g. Optimal degradation of CIP was observed under the following conditions: pH 5, photocatalyst dosage of 0.6 g/L, initial CIP concentration of 25 mg/L, and an irradiation duration of 60 min. Comparative experiments demonstrated that incorporating Zn-Al LDH with core-shell nanoparticles (Fe3O4-SiO2-EN) enhanced removal efficiency by 2.5 to 6 times compared to individual materials. The composite exhibited efficient activation under UV, visible light, and solar radiation, resulting in 100 % degradation of CIP under UV, 100 % under visible light, and 81.4 % under solar radiation. Biodegradability, indicated by the BOD5/COD ratio, increased from 0.28 to 0.73 after 120 min of photocatalytic oxidation under visible light, with 80.83 % COD removal and 74.17 % TOC removal. Reactive species generation, such as •OH, •O2-, and h+, was confirmed by introducing scavengers (TBA, BQ, and TEOS) into the reaction medium. The photocatalytic activity of the nanocomposite was slightly decreased over 5 consecutive CIP treatment cycles. Toxicity assessment of treated wastewater using E. coli and Daphnia magna bioassays revealed a significant decrease in E. coli growth inhibition rate with prolonged treatment time. The EC50 percentage improved from 1.27 % to 97.4 % after 4 h of CIP treatment under visible light. In conclusion, the development of the Fe3O4-SiO2-EN@Zn-Al-LDH presents a noteworthy advancement in photocatalysis for the degradation of CIP in aqueous solutions. © 2024

The study evaluates the integration of solar, wind, and biomass energy systems in Iraq, targeting 88 locations to optimize electricity production for the building sector, which accounts for 45 % of the country energy consumption. The study reveals significant geographical variations in costs and efficiency, highlighting the necessity for tailored regional strategies. Three scenarios have been evaluated: Biomass-Photovoltaic (PV) and Biomass-Wind systems, and Biomass-PV-Wind hybrid scenario. The results highlight the economic superiority of southwest regions identified as optimal for Biomass-PV and Biomass-Wind applications. Transitioning to a Biomass-PV-Wind hybrid system yields a cost reduction of 61 % to 83 %. Economic assessments across scenarios reveal spatial complexities and underscore the importance of region-specific strategies. The Biomass-PV scenario indicates northern territories have the highest cost, while shorter distances to the grid are observed in middle and eastern regions. The Biomass-Wind scenario demonstrates the cost-effectiveness of wind turbines in relation to grid distance, and the hybrid Biomass-PV-Wind scenario shows potential in combining solar and wind energies, especially for stations with longer distances from the grid. Environmentally, the study assesses the CO2 emissions and surplus electricity across scenarios, noting the significant contribution of solar and wind energies to electricity production. The Biomass-PV scenario results in 105.5 kg/year of CO2 emissions, with a notable variance in surplus electricity. The Biomass-Wind scenario generates 115.2 kg/year of CO2, with a strong performance in surplus electricity production. The Hybrid Biomass-PV-Wind scenario showcases a 41.15 % average surplus electricity across stations, demonstrating its potential efficiency, but also contributes to 55.8 kg/year of CO2 emissions due to the usage of generators. © 2024 International Energy Initiative

The entering sunlight from the building's windows mainly affects the heating and visual comfort of the occupants. The applications of Venetian blinds are a solution to improve the heating and visual comfort of the occupants. However, reducing the sunlight that enters the space can result in a rise in the building's electricity consumption. While most studies focus on the electricity production of solar panels, present study aims to examine the effect of solar venetian blinds on the indoor visual and thermal comfort of the occupants and optimize their geometry considering different geographical specifications. In the present paper, efforts are made to numerically install solar panels on Venetian blinds and analyze the effect of changing the geometrical parameters of solar Venetian blinds and the building's window dimensions on visual comfort and net electricity. Therefore, the target functions in the present paper are an improvement percentage in the daylight glare index and an improvement percentage in the net electricity costs for the analyzed building. As a result, five cities in Iran that have different climatic conditions are targeted to model the building. EnergyPlus software is employed to conduct the energy-based calculations, and the design variables and target functions are defined using JEPLUS software. The outputs are next inserted in JEPLUS+EA software to process a multi-objective optimization using the NSGA-II algorithm. The results demonstrate that the visual comfort and net electricity can be optimized by ranges of 10–100% and 1.5–10%, respectively. Furthermore, Venetian blinds are proven to have higher reception of sun radiations and better efficiency in southern cities and they can have a more proper performance while being installed for windows of southern building wall. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd

In this work, Montmorillonite (MMt) coated with MgCuAl-layered double hydroxide (LDH) nanoparticles as a new adsorbent (MCA-LDH@MMt) was synthesized via a low supersaturation characterized using BET, TEM, XRD, SEM/EDS, and FT-IR analysis. The adsorption studies were conducted in a ternary-batch system of three heavy metal ions (cadmium, zinc, and lead). The results showed that the MMt was successfully loaded with MgCuAl nanoparticles with a porosity of 44.63 % and a specific surface area of 76.63 m2/g. In addition, the surface morphology analysis showed that there were several changes in elemental dispersion, molar ratio, and molecular weights during the preparation of the used adsorbent. The influence of environmental parameters on the adsorption behavior was studied in detail, whereby the maximum adsorption capacity for the three metals ions was achieved at pH 5, 120 min contact time, 0.2 g/100 mL dose, and 50 mg/l initial metal ion concentration at 25 ± 1 °C. A pseudo-second-order model well correlates the kinetic data of the three metal ions (R2 > 0.991). The Cd2+ and Zn2+ isotherm data exhibited high compatibility with the Langmuir model, while the Freundlich model better fitted the Pb2+ isotherm data. The maximum adsorption capacity from the Langmuir model was 91.6, 164.9, and 129.2 mg/g for Cd2+, Zn2+, and Pb2+, respectively. Also, the adsorption process of the three metal ions onto MCA−LDH@MMt was primarily characterized by their spontaneous and exothermic nature. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that MCA-LDH@MMt is an effective adsorbent for the simultaneous adsorption of cadmium, zinc, and lead in aqueous solution, with the ability to recover the synthesized adsorbent after four consecutive cycles with a minimal reduction in adsorption ability. © 2024 Indian Chemical Society

In this study, a MgCuAl-layered double hydroxide (MCA-LDH)-based montmorillonite cationic clay (MMT) composite was synthesized via a co-precipitation method and then characterized using various analytical techniques, including BET surface area, TEM, XRD, FT-IR, and SEM/EDS analysis, to confirm the successful loading of LDH onto MMT. The material was subsequently used as a novel adsorbent for Pb2+ ion removal from aqueous solution in batch mode experiments. The effects of important variables on Pb2+ adsorption were investigated, and the values of these variables were optimized using the central composite design (CCD) of the response surface methodology (RSM). The results showed that the favorable conditions for the adsorption of Pb2+ onto the MCA-LDH@MMt composite were pH 5, an initial Pb2+ concentration of 85 mg/l, and an adsorbent dose of 0.225 g/100 ml. Under these conditions, the maximum adsorption efficiency was 89.1%. Using the RSM methodology, a quadratic polynomial equation was obtained that expresses the relationship between the adsorption efficiency and the effective parameters. The results show that pH and temperature had a greater effect on the adsorption efficiency. The pseudo-second-order model kinetically well fitted the adsorption process, while external mass transfer and intra-particle diffusion controlled the adsorption mechanics. The Langmuir isotherm model fitted the isotherm to the adsorption process, yielding a capacity of 132.83 mg/g. The thermodynamic study showed that the spontaneous adsorption of Pb2+ onto MCA-LDH@MMt composites is exothermic in nature. Moreover, there was a mere 30% reduction in the removal efficiency after five consecutive regeneration cycles. In conclusion, this work demonstrated that the MCA-LDH@MMt composite could be a promising adsorbent for the treatment of aqueous solutions contaminated with heavy metals. © 2024 The Authors

The objective of this study was to investigate the performance of the Pd@TMU-16 to act as a photocatalyst in degrading the Acid Red 88 (AR88) dye from an aqueous solution, via photocatalysis process, using UV irradiation. The synthesis of this catalyst was performed under conditions of thermal solvent and its characteristic parameters were confirmed using the XRD, Band gap, SEM, BET, pHPCZ, and FTIR methodologies. The influence exerted by the operative parameters on the AR88 degradation, which included the pH, reaction time, radiation intensity, catalyst mass, and initial dye concentration was examined. At the optimum condition of photocatalysis and utilising only 0.75 g of Pd@TMU-16, total degradation of 10 mg/L dye concentration was performed. From the kinetic studies, the dye degradation indicated that it was similar to the pseudo-first-order model, and the dye degradation mechanism had taken place through the hydroxyl (•OH) and superoxide radicals (•O⁻₂). The adsorbent reusability was also studied, and from the results it was evident that the 18% decrease observed after six consecutive cycles of catalyst use, clearly indicated its stability. For radiation intensities of 8, 15, 24, and 36 W, the Energy Consumed per m3 of the treated wastewater was found 20.2, 28.8, 34.1, and 36.9 kWh, respectively. From these results, namely the low energy gap (2.3 eV) and high degradation capacity, it was evident that the Pd@TMU-16 can be useful, under UV light, as a powerful catalyst in the elimination of dyes and other organic contaminants from polluted aqueous media. © 2022 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

The study utilizes a GIS-Based Multi-Criteria Analysis to evaluate the viability of solar, wind, and biomass energy in Iraq, focusing on enhancing the nation's energy independence and meeting international climate objectives. Detailed spatial analysis revealed specific zones suited for the efficient installation of energy power plants. Zones with an energy surplus factor of less than 0.2 are deemed not viable for development, whereas regions with factors less than 0.4 are ideal for harnessing solar, wind, and biomass resources. Furthermore, zones with surplus factors greater than 0.6 are highly recommended for energy projects. Notably, the results show that strategic development of these zones can cater to between 45 % and 68 % of the country total energy demand, potentially reducing the CO2 footprint by 0.5. Moreover, with an increase in the construction threshold, the CO2 reduction potential has shown a decrease to 1.29E+08 tones, particularly evident in areas with rigorous construction standards. A plateau in reduction figures is observed once the construction threshold surpasses 3.5, stabilizing between 2.5E+07 tones. As the threshold exceeds 5, a further stabilization is noted, consistently around 2.17E+07 tones, persisting even when the threshold approaches 8. The outcomes underscores the critical role of strategic zoning in maximizing renewable energy potential, highlighting pathways for the country to achieve energy self-sufficiency and make significant strides in climate goals. © 2024 The Authors

This study aims to evaluate the performance of four ensemble machine learning methods, i.e., Random Committee, Discretization Regression, Reduced Error Pruning Tree, and Additive Regression, to estimate water quality parameters of Biochemical Oxygen Demand BOD and Dissolved Oxygen DO. Data from Anbar City on the Euphrates River in western Iraq was employed for the model's training and validation. The best subset regression analysis and correlation analysis were used to determine the best input combinations and to ascertain variable correlation, respectively. Besides, sensitivity analysis was employed to determine the standardized coefficient for BOD and DO predictions, hence knowing the significance of the relevant physical and chemical parameters. Results revealed that temperature, turbidity, electrical conductivity, Ca++, and chemical oxygen demand were identified as the best input combinations for BOD prediction. In contrast, the variable combination of temperature, turbidity, chemical oxygen demand, SO4−1, and total suspended solids was identified as the best input combination for DO prediction. It was also demonstrated that the random committee model was superior for predictions of BOD and DO, followed by the discretization regression model. For predicting BOD (DO), the correlation coefficient and root mean square error were 0.8176 (0.7833) and 0.3291 (0.3544), respectively, during the testing stage. The present investigation provided approaches for addressing difficulties in irrigation water quality prediction through artificial intelligence techniques and thence serve as a tool to overcome the obstacles towards better water management. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.

Organic micropollutants are considered as dangerous wastes to aquatic environments, which threaten the life of living beings. The efficacious removal of these pollutants from surrounding aquatic ecosystems has been taken into consideration in water refinery technologies. In this study, a bio-nanocomposite was developed through a green approach involving self-assembly of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) with zinc [5,10,15,20-tetrakis(2,6-dichlorophenyl) porphyrin] complex (ZnPor) and TiO2 nanoparticles using reflux method. This organic/inorganic hybrid material was characterized using FE-SEM, XRD, EIS, RAMAN, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. The band-gap energies were found to range from 3.32 eV for GO to 2.35 eV for ZnPor/rGO/TiO2, indicating the composites behave as semiconductor materials. The photocatalytic activity was highest for the ZnPor/rGO/TiO2 composite based on 200 mL ZnPor addition during the synthesis process, achieving 98.1 % degradation of the model pollutant ethylparaben after only 20 min of UV treatment. The rGO facilitates electron-hole separation and transportation, while the ZnPor broadens the light absorption range and improves charge transfer. The TiO2 nanoparticles provide the primary photocatalytic sites. These synergistic effects enhanced the photocatalytic activity of the ZnPor/rGO/TiO2 system. This green-synthesized, eco-friendly, and highly efficient photocatalyst shows great promise for the removal of organic micropollutants from wastewater. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.

In this study, we systematically explored how changing groove surfaces of iron oxide/water nanofluid could affect the pool boiling heat transfer. We aimed to investigate the effect of three types of grooves, namely rectangular, circular, and triangular, on the boiling heat transfer. The goal was to improve heat transfer performance by consciously changing surface structure. Comparative analyses were conducted with deionized water to provide valuable insights. Notably, the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) exhibited a significant increase in the presence of grooves. For deionized water, the HTC rose by 91.7% and 48.7% on circular and rectangular grooved surfaces, respectively. Surprisingly, the triangular-grooved surface showed a decrease of 32.9% in HTC compared to the flat surface. On the other hand, the performance of the nanofluid displayed intriguing trends. The HTC for the nanofluid diminished by 89.2% and 22.3% on rectangular and triangular grooved surfaces, while the circular-grooved surface exhibited a notable 41.2% increase in HTC. These results underscore the complex interplay between groove geometry, fluid properties, and heat transfer enhancement in nanofluid-based boiling. Hence, we thoroughly examine the underlying mechanisms and elements influencing these observed patterns in this research. The results provide important insights for further developments in this area by shedding light on how surface changes and groove geometry may greatly affect heat transfer in nanofluid-based pool boiling systems. © 2024 by the authors.

We developed a facile electroanalytical system for the rapid and sensitive detection of pyrimethanil through the modification of carbon paste electrode surface using the as-fabricated europium doped feather-type CuO nanoflowers (FT-Eu3+-CuO NF sensor). The peak current of pyrimethanil oxidation was elevated by the sensor due to the integration of appreciable electrochemical features of the modifier, which indicates the high ability of the modified electrode to enhance the sensitivity of pyrimethanil detection. The pyrimethanil sensor under the optimized setting had a broad linear dynamic range (0.001-800.0 μM) and a narrow limit of detection (0.18 nM). The practical applicability of the as-fabricated electrode was verified by sensing pyrimethanil in real samples; it also exhibited commendable specificity, stability and reproducibility. © 2024 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

A first-principles DFT investigation was conducted to study the sensing of formaldehyde (CH2O) via pure biphenylene monolayer (PBPML) and gold-decorated biphenylene monolayer (Au-BPML) monolayer. The PBPML exhibited superior adhesion of CH2O molecule in comparison with other reported 2D materials, but it physiosorbed onto the PBPML with the adhesion energy of −0.409 eV. However, decorating the Au atom significantly improved the CH2O adhesion capacity of BP and caused a notable change in its electronic attributes. The Au-BPML can be a suitable sensor for CH2O with structural steadiness at ambient temperature, a reasonable charge transfer of 0.947 e, adhesion energy of −0.836 eV, and the recovery time of 1.03 s at 300 K. This study highlights the suitability of Au-BPML for CH2O sensing and its practical application. It also presents a new approach for the design and development of efficient sensors for biomolecule. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.

As industrialization progresses, numerous harmful gases are released into the atmosphere. However, detecting these gases at low concentrations poses a significant challenge. Consequently, there is an urgent need to create advanced toxic gas sensors that can effectively identify and measure these substances. The utilization of two-dimensional materials offers promising opportunities for gas sensors due to their notable benefits, including substantial distinctive electronic properties and specific surface area. In this research, a single layer of hexagonal boron phosphide (h-BP) was employed as the substrate material. Using density-functional theory (DFT) calculations, the researchers investigated how ambient toxic gases, namely CO, SO2, HCN, and CS2, are absorbed on the surface of monolayers of h-BP. The findings indicate that interaction between h-BP and these gases is characterized by physical adsorption. The researchers conducted calculations on four ideal adsorption structures to assess the Bader charge, density of states (DOS), work function, and recovery time. The results revealed notable alterations in electronic features and work function of the h-BP monolayer when it was exposed to SO2, indicating substantial modifications in electrical signals while detecting gas. Findings of this investigation demonstrate that h-BP monolayer exhibits enhanced sensitivity and selectivity towards the hazardous gas SO2. © 2024 Elsevier B.V.

The cross flow operation mode membrane contactor can improve heat and mass transfer performance of the shell compartment due to periodic interruptions of the fibre bundle to the air stream compared with the parallel flow hollow fibre membrane contactor. The objective of this research study is the development of a theoretical model to assess humidity and temperature distribution in the cross flow operation mode of the membrane contactor for water desalination applications. The modelling output agreed with experimental data in terms of moisture transfer flux at different inlet-temperatures of seawater. The results revealed that the moisture flux increased from 0.7 to 6.5 kg/(m2.h) with an increase in temperature from 313 K to 353 K. It was observed that the outlet air temperature is 353.15 K, 345.38 K, and 338.15 K at y = 0, y = 60 mm, and y = 120 mm. Furthermore, there was a rise in humidity and temperature in the x-direction, while there was a decrease in both parameters in the y-direction in the tube and shell sides of the contactor. Significant changes were seen in the humidity and temperature in the regions close to the entrance of air and seawater. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd

The original version of the article unfortunately contained typographical errors about numbers that specifies the affiliations of authors. The correct details are shown above. The original article has been corrected. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2024.

Here, the capacities of S-C48, S-C-nanotube, S-B24N24 and S-BN-nanotube in Mg-ion and Na-ion batteries are investigated. The Ecohesive of Si48, C48, S-C48, B24N24, S-B24N24, CNT(7, 0), S-CNT(7, 0), BNNT(7, 0) and S-BNNT(7, 0) are -5.86, -5.98, -6.24, -6.35, -6.47, -6.60, -6.88 and -7.01 eV in gas phase. The electrochemical parameters of Si48, C48, C-nanotube, B24N24, BN-nanotube, S-C48, S-C-nanotube, S-B24N24 and S-BN-nanotube in batteries are calculated. The Vcell and Ctheory of Si48, C48, CNT, B24N24, BNNT, S-C48, S-CNT, S-B24N24 and S-BNNT in Mg-ion batteries are higher than Na-ion batteries. Results demonstrated that the Vcell and Ctheory of C48, S-C48, B24N24, S-B24N24, CNT(7, 0), S-CNT(7, 0), BNNT(7, 0) and S-BNNT(7, 0) in batteries are higher than corresponding values of Si-nanotubes, C-nanocages and Si-nanocages, C-nanotubes, C-nanocages and BN-nanocages and BN-nanotubes. Results indicated that the S-C48, S-B24N24, S-CNT(7, 0) and S-BNNT(7, 0) have acceptable capacities in metal-ion batteries. Finally, the S-Si48, S-BNNT(7, 0) and S-CNT(7, 0) are proposed to utilize in batteries. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2024. corrected publication 2024.

The present work investigates the degradation of amoxicillin (AMX) using a Fe2O3/bentonite/TiO2 (Fe2O3/B/TiO2) nanocomposite under visible LED light and UV irradiation. XRD, UV-Visible, FTIR, EDS, VSM, EPR spectra and TEM techniques were utilized to estimate the features of the prepared photocatalyst. The saturation magnetization for Fe2O3 and Fe2O3/B/TiO2 was 57.4 and 17.4 emu/g, respectively. Factors affecting degradation rates, such as pH, catalyst dose, radiation intensity, and initial AMX concentration, were investigated. The results showed that an AMX concentration of 25 mg/L, a pH of 5, and a catalyst dosage of 0.75 gr/L are the optimal parameters suggesting a 100% degradation of the contaminant in the presence of UV light for 60 min. However, during the use of visible light the optimal contact time was 90 min, producing a removal percentage of 98.8%. The results for the reaction rate indicate the adherence of the data to pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the reaction rate constant for UV and visible radiation was 0.0181 and 0.0176 1/min, respectively. The energy consumption range for a degradation time of 10–90 min for UV and visible radiation was 9.4–14.6 and 7.61–15.4 kWh/m3, respectively Both light sources have also been shown to convert nonbiodegradable effluent into a biodegradable form. Finally, a mere 8% reduction in catalyst efficiency was observed after 6 recycling and reuse cycles. The degradation of AMX was negatively affected by common coexisting anions in water (10–25%). Moreover, toxicity assessments indicated the usability of the studied system to remarkably diminish the toxicity of AMX solution compared to untreated controls. Hence, the studied Fe2O3/B/TiO2/UV or visible light processes could be considered an auspicious technology for providing high efficiencies in the treatment of AMX-contaminated wastewater. © 2022 Elsevier GmbH

In this study, the effectiveness of activated carbon prepared from the Azolla filiculoides fern (ACAF) in order to remove ampicillin from aqueous solution was examined. The preparation of the ACAF was performed through chemical and physical activation processes with the presence of ZnCl2 and at a temperature of 450 °C. The ACAF yield was 44.7% of the fresh Azolla filiculoides. The results obtained from the characterization study indicate that the prepared ACAF has excellent surface and internal properties to be used as an adsorbent. The surface area, porosity, and pore volume were estimated to be 716.4 m2/g, 51.2%, and 0.621 cm3/g, respectively. The functional groups in ACAF that were responsible for the adsorption of ampicillin molecules were detected using FTIR analyses. The maximum efficiency (96.84%) and uptake (114.3 mg/g) of ACAF to remove ampicillin were achieved under the following conditions: ACAF dose = 0.8 g/L, pH = 7, concentration of ampicillin = 100 mg/L, contact time = 60 min, and temperature = 45 °C. It was found that the kinetic and isotherm data matched the pseudo-second-order and Langmuir models with high precision values, respectively. Considering the thermodynamics of the adsorption, the endothermic and spontaneous nature of the ampicillin adsorption onto ACAF was approved. The ampicillin adsorption capacity by ACAF was not significantly affected by the presence of different concentrations of NaNO3 competitor ion. The considerably higher adsorption capacity of the ACAF for ampicillin (114.3 mg/g) than other previously used adsorbents with excellent regeneration level (five cycles) depicts the superior performance of ACAF in the adsorption systems. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

Abstract: The photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin (CIP) was examined by loading spinel ferrite copper (CuFe2O4) nanoparticles onto montmorillonite (MMT) under irradiation using UV light. The laboratory parameters were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM), and maximum efficiency (83.75%) was achieved at a pH of 3, CIP concentration of 32.5 mg/L, MMT/CuFe2O4 dose of 0.78 g/L, and irradiation time of 47.50 min. During the photocatalysis process, the experiments on radical trapping demonstrated the generation of hydroxyls (•OH), superoxide (•O2-) radical, electrons (e-), and holes (h+). A low rate drop (below 10%) in the CIP degradation during the six consecutive reaction cycles corroborated the remarkable recyclability and stability of the MMT/CuFe2O4. The acute toxicity of the treated solution was determined using Daphnia Magna, by applying photocatalysis, which was indicative of a marked decline in the toxicity. Comparing the findings of the degradation using UV and the degradation process using visible light represented results with close resemblance to each other at the end of the reaction time. Besides, under UV and visible light, the particles in reactor are easily activated when the pollutant mineralization exceeded 80%. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

In the present work, the adsorption mechanism and capacity of MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 nanocomposite as an adsorbent were investigated. Levofloxacin (LFX), a widely used antibiotic, was selected as a hazardous model contaminant in aqueous solutions. The surface and inner characterization of MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 was obtained via SEM/TEM, XRD, BET/BJH, and pHPZC. These analyses indicated that MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 possess excellent surface and pore characteristics, e.g., specific surface area, pore volume, and mean pore diameter, which were 72 m2/g, 0.51 cm3/g, and 65 nm, respectively. The results demonstrate that by supplementing 1 g/L of MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 at experimental conditions of pH value of 5, temperature of 30 °C, initial LFX concentration of 50 mg/L and mixing time of 90 min, a significant outcome of 99.3% removal was achieved. To identify the phenomenon of adsorption, the thermodynamic parameters of ΔH° and ΔS° were calculated, which indicated that the nature of LFX adsorption onto MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 nanocomposite was endothermic and spontaneous. Nine isotherm models, including four two-parameter and five three-parameter models, were investigated. In addition, the regression coefficient as well as five error coefficient models were calculated for nonlinear isotherm models. According to the goodness of fit tests, the equilibrium data were well coordinated with the Freundlich and Sips isotherms. The kinetics study showed that the LFX adsorption data well fitted with pseudo-second-order model, and the adsorption of LFX molecules occurred through several stages from surface to intraparticle diffusion. In conclusion, the present work evinces that LFX wastewater can be efficiently treated via an adsorption process using a MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 nanocomposite. © 2022 by the authors.

Developing an effective adsorbent for removing heavy metals is an interesting field in water and wastewater treatment research. This work successfully prepared and used a CuMgAl-layered double hydroxide/montmorillonite nanocomposite (CuMgAl-LDH/MMt) for the adsorption of heavy metal pollutants from an aqueous solution. The nanocomposite had a maximum adsorption capacity of 154.21 mg/g for Zn(II) ion adsorption. The Langmuir model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model presented a better fit for the Zn(II) adsorption process. The mechanism of Zn(II) adsorption mainly involves exothermic and spontaneous processes. Moreover, the effects of solution pH, pollutant concentration, adsorbent dose, temperature, and repeated use of CuMgAl-LDH/MMt on the Zn(II) adsorption were tested, revealing that CuMgAl-LDH/MMt has excellent stability and the ability to remove Zn(II) The maximum removal rate (95.1 %) was determined under conditions of pH = 5, CuMgAl-LDH/MMt dosage = 0.25 g per100 ml Zn(II) solution, particle size of adsorbent = 87 µm, shaking speed = 200 rpm, temperature = 25 °C, initial concentration = 70 mg/L, and adsorption time = 90 min. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the value of CuMgAl-LDH/MMt as the best adsorbent for the removal of Zn(II) ions from wastewater compared to other adsorbents used for the same purpose. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

Metronidazole is well-known antibiotic which, globally, ranks high in popular usage. Therefore, traces of residues of this antibiotic were identified in aquatic bodies. A photosynthetic cyanobacterium, of the microalgae category, S. platensis, has been found to be efficient in the removal of this antibiotic. This study was performed to evaluate the efficiency of S. platensis in the removal of metronidazole from aqueous environments. To set up the optimum conditions for facilitating metronidazole removal, BBD model was employed. The experiment included the following parameters: the initial metronidazole level (10–80 mg/L), pH (4–10), contact time (10–60 min), and biomass dose (0.1–0.5 g/L). From the findings it was evident that S. platensis was able to remove 88.15% of the metronidazole under the following conditions: contact time 38.05 min, metronidazole level 35 mg/L, pH 7.71 and a biomass dose 0.3 g/L. The quadratic model revealed that metronidazole concentration was the chief variable that influenced its removal rate. MNZ removal rate was observed to follow the pseudo-second-order model and the Freundlich model. From the thermodynamic data it appeared that the process of metronidazole biosorption was spontaneous, exothermic and physical. The results of this study revealed that S. platensis could be used as an inexpensive and efficient biosorbent to remove the metronidazole from aqueous solutions. © 2023, The Author(s).

This pilot study synthesized the γ-Fe2O3@SiO2@ZIF8-Ag nanocomposites via the hydrothermal method to study its potential use in amoxicillin degradation as a novel photocatalyst in aqueous solutions under visible light radiation. Various diagnostic methods were used to determine the morphology and functional structure of the photocatalyst, and the results confirmed its proper formation. Complete degradation of AMX was obtained at a pH of 5, catalyst dosage of 0.4 g/L, AMX concentration of 10 mg/L, and reaction time of 60 min. The efficiency of the degradation was diminished when anions were present in the reaction medium, and the order of their effect was SO42− < Cl− < NO3− < HCO3−. Biodegradability (BOD5/COD ratio) increased from 0.20 to 0.68 after 120 min of photocatalytic treatment, with a COD removal of 87.54% and a TOC removal of 74.88%. Through the experimental trapping of electrons, we found the production of reactive species, such as hydroxyl radical (•OH), superoxide (O2•−), and holes (h+), in the photocatalysis reactor and that •OH was the predominant species in AMX photodegradation. Comparative experiments emphasized that the oxidation process occurs with the adsorption of pollutants on the surface of the catalyst, and the photocatalyst has the potential to be activated by various light sources, including visible light, UV light, and sunlight, with an AMX decomposition above 88%. The synthesized particles can be recovered after five consecutive cycles with minimal reduction in the degradation rate (< 4%). γ-Fe2O3@SiO2@ZIF8-Ag can be considered a promising photocatalyst for use in AMX degradation due to its recyclability, easier activation by different light sources, and excellent mineralization. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

Humic acid (HA), the most highly prevalent type of natural organic matter (NOM), plays an effective role in the generation of disinfectant byproducts such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acid, which are well known to be definitive carcinogens. Therefore, the proactive elimination of HA from water and wastewater is a crucial means of preventing this pollutant from reacting with the chlorine incorporated during the disinfection process. This study investigated the UV light photocatalytic elimination of HA, employing a bentonite@Fe3O4@ZnO (BNTN@Fe3O4@ZnO) magnetic nanocomposite. The most significant variables pertinent to the photocatalytic degradation process examined in this work included the pH (3–11), nanocomposite dose (0.005–0.1 g/L), reaction time (5–180 min), and HA concentration (2–15 mg/L). The synthesized materials were characterized via field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM) techniques, all of which revealed outstanding catalytic properties for the BNTN@Fe3O4@ZnO. The conditions under which greater efficiency was achieved included a pH of 3, a nanocomposite dose of 0.01 g/L, and an HA concentration of 10 mg/L. Under these conditions, in just 90 min of photocatalytic reaction, an HA degradation efficiency of 100% was achieved. From the modeling study of the kinetic data, the Langmuir–Hinshelwood model showed good compliance (R2 = 0.97) with the empirical data and predicted values. Thus, it can be concluded that the BNTN@Fe3O4@ZnO catalyst acts very efficiently in the HA removal process under a variety of treatment conditions. © 2023 by the authors.

Almond peel waste was collected, characterized, and then used as an adsorbent for removing malachite green (MG) dye from aqueous solutions. The environmental conditions of MG dye adsorption were pH, 2.5–10.5; almond peel dose, 0.25–1.5 g/L; initial MG concentration, 10–60 mg/L; and adsorption time, 0–180 min. These were optimized by using an artificial neural network (ANN) tool. At pH = 8.5, 96.1% of the MG dye could be removed using almond peels. According to the coefficient of determination results, the Langmuir isotherm proved to be the equation that best fit the data of the isotherm study. Furthermore, the kinetic study showed that the data on MG adsorption of the almond peel waste was consistent with the pseudo-second-order model. The ANN model was developed by using a three-layer, feed-forward network with an optimum architecture of 4:10:1. Sigmoid functions were employed in both inputs and hidden layers, as also those hidden in the output layers. The results indicated a high correlation value (R = 0.976) to predict the entire experimental dataset, which indicated the applicability of the ANN tool, to describe the MG adsorption data in a highly accurate manner. The important conclusion of this study, after comparison with other similar adsorbents used in the adsorption process of dye wastewater, revealed that almond peel waste is a cheap, recyclable, and effective adsorptive agent, thus a good alternative to remove dyes from aqueous solutions. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

The present study explores the solar-induced photocatalytic degradation of reactive red (RR) and reactive turquoise (RT) dyes in a single system using TiO2 immobilized in xanthan gum (TiO2/XG), synthesized using the sol–gel dip-coating technique for direct precipitation. SEM-EDX, XRD, FTIR, and UV–Vis were used to assess the characteristics of the resulting catalyst. Moreover, the effects of different operating parameters, specifically pH, dye concentration, TiO2/XG concentration, H2O2 concentration, and contact time, were also investigated in a batch photocatalytic reactor. The immobilized TiO2/XG catalyst showed a slight adsorption degradation efficiency and then improved the RR and RT dye degradation activity (92.5 and 90.8% in 120 min) under solar light with a remarkable Langmuir–Hinshelwood pseudo-first-order degradation rate of 0.0183 and 0.0151 min−1, respectively, under optimum conditions of pH 5, dye concentration of 25 mg/L, TiO2/XG concentration of 25 mg/L, H2O2 concentration of 400 mg/L, and reaction time of 120 min. The improved photocatalytic ability was ascribed to the impact of TiO2/XG nanoparticles with a high surface area, and lower band gap energy. Solar light energy has significant potential for addressing energy deficit and water pollution concerns. © 2023 by the authors.

Regarding the presence of residual active drug compounds in the municipal effluents and the effluents of pharmaceutical factories, the removal of these compounds increases the resistance of microorganisms, and environmental hazards, such as genetic disorders in the aquatic reproduction and possible damage to human health is necessary. In recent years, using the Mixed-Matrix-Membranes (MMMs) for their high removal efficiency was considered. In the present study, polyether sulfone (PES) membranes, and composite membranes with MIL10-OH/Chitosan (CS), were synthesized and characterized. SEM analysis shows that with the addition of MOF modified with CS, the number and size of micropores and porosity increase compared to the PES membrane. By adding 0.05 wt % of MIL101-OH and MIL101-OH/CS to the PES membrane, the pure water flux increased from 5.1 kg/m2 h to 9.2 and 9.9 kg/m2 h. Increased porosity in the membranes led to a decrease in the resistance of flowing water, and ultimately increased the membrane's permeability. Increased membrane hydrophilicity, as well as membrane surface roughness, reduced membrane clogging. By adding MOF with CS to the PES membrane, the flux recovery ratio increased from 45 % to 95 % in terms of the increase of hydrophilic functional groups of membrane. Furthermore, reversible fouling increases and irreversible fouling in MMMs significantly decreased. Diclofenac sodium (DCF) was separated better than cefixime (CFX). Thus, the removal percentage for DCF was 95 % and for CFX drug is 90 %. By comparing the removal percentage, it can be seen that the performance of MMMs with MIL101-OH/CS was better than MMMs with MIL101-OH, and adding CS to MOF and PES membrane improved membrane performance to remove DCF and CFX. © 2023 The Institution of Chemical Engineers

The purpose of this research was to synthesise the chitosan-polyacrylamide composite (CH-PAA) and follow up with an investigation of its capacity to adsorb anionic Sirius yellow K-CF dye, under different environmental conditions. In order to increase the uptake value of the synthesised CH-PAA, the surface chemistry of this adsorbent was modified by bringing it into contact with ZnO nanoparticles (CH-PAA-ZnO). The characterisation tests using XRD, FT-IR, TEM, and FE-SEM analyses demonstrated the successful loading of ZnO onto the CH-PAA surface without causing damage to the chemical composition of the original materials. Excellent removal efficiency of the Sirius yellow K-CF dye (≈ 100%) by CH-PAA-ZnO was performed under the conditions cited namely, pH of 2, dye concentration of20 mg/L, adsorbent dosage of 0.05 g/L, temperature of 40°C, and contact time of 90 minutes. It was evident that the ZnO nanoparticles strongly facilitate the removal process, in which 42% enhancement of dye removal efficiency was recorded, after the CH-PAA was modified with these nanoparticles. The values of the thermodynamic parameters determined at different concentrations of Sirius yellow K-CF dye (negative (Formula presented.) values; and positive (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.) values) indicated that the dye adsorption process onto the CH-PAA-ZnO was favourable, spontaneous, and endothermic. Based on the R2 values (> 0.99) of the linear fitting determined, the experimental data pertinent to the isotherm and kinetic studies are represented by the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic formulas, respectively. Also, the isotherm study revealed that 1 g of CH-PAA-ZnO was capable of capturing 149.79 mg of the dye molecules in 1 L aqueous solution. On comparison with the other adsorbent used for the same purpose, the CH-PAA-ZnO can be an efficacious adsorbent and a good alternative to treat wastewater containing Sirius yellow K-CF dye, in an acidic medium. © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

This research aims to develop a novel photocatalyst with excellent photocatalytic performance and investigate its potential to remove amoxicillin (AMOX) from an aqueous solution. First, FeNi3/SiO2/TiO2 was characterized using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Then, the FeNi3/SiO2/TiO2 nanocomposite was tested for its ability to degrade AMOX in a batch solar-photocatalysis reactor. The effects of parameters such as pH, contact time, initial concentration, and nanocomposite dose were investigated during the experiments. The results demonstrated the performance by degrading 10 mg/L of AMOX solution to 96 % after 30 min in the dark and 90 min of solar irradiation and using 50 mg/L of nanocomposite at pH =5. Furthermore, the kinetic of the degradation rate of AMOX followed the pseudo-first-order equation with R2 > 0.987, and this reaction's constant rate of degradation was obtained as 0.03 1/min. The used catalyst showed high recycling efficiency and stability over four photocatalytic cycles. This study showed that FeNi3/SiO2/TiO2 magnetic nanocomposite in a solar–photocatalytic reactor under optimum operating conditions has a reasonable efficiency in the degradation of AMOX. © 2022 SAAB

An important subject in improvement of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (FCs) is sluggish kinetics of cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In present work, Mn-doped vacancy boron nitride nanosheet has been offered as a noble-metal-free and efficient electrocatalyst for ORR process in fuel cells employing DFT computation. It is discovered that adsorption energy (Eads) values on Mn–N active site of selected catalysts enhance in order of: H2O > H2O2 > O2 > OOH > OH > O. For all intermediates containing oxygen, there is almost a consistent trend in Eads alteration. A slight thermodynamic force drives H2O2 formation and considerable ones for reduction of OOH into O* (or to 2OH*) indicate that 4e− pathway is more useful compared to 2e− pathway. Besides, from thermodynamic point of view, final stage of reduction (OH* + H+ + e− → H2O + *) within the highest value of ΔG for Mn-doped vacancy BN catalyst is rate-determining step (RDS). A larger HOMO-LUMO gap or a manganese d-band center remote from Fermi level indicates that catalyst doesn't favor adsorption of oxygen-containing species, which in turn results in higher ORR performance. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

This review presents the recent progress in the application of layered double hydroxides (LDHs) as adsorptive agents for the removal of different pollutants. Co-precipitation, hydrothermal, and sol-gel are the dominant methods used for the synthesis of LDHs. The characterization parameters of the material are reviewed in detail, as it is found that they have unique morphological and structural parameters, making them effective adsorbents across a wide range of environmental conditions. However, these adsorbents are subjected to different modification processes to enhance their adsorptive performance. From the literature, the maximum adsorption capacity of LDHs for heavy metals and organic pollutants was found to be 800 mg/g for Cr(VI) and 9,127 mg/g for Congo red dye. From the kinetic investigations, studies showed that the adsorption process using LDHs mostly follows a pseudo-second-order model. In addition, the Langmuir model is the best model to describe the isothermal data. The variation in the adsorption capacity of LDHs concerning environmental conditions is summarized, and the best conditions are evaluated. From the information presented in this review, it can be said that LDHs have a promising future as alternative materials to many currently used adsorbents. However, the process of improving their surfaces and structural properties to suit the environmental conditions and to facilitate the process of separating them from solutions remains a subject in need of study. In addition, a few studies have examined the ability of LDHs to remove radioactive elements. © 2023 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

Membrane system for molecular separation was studied in this work using combined modeling approach. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was conducted and integrated to machine learning models for description of ozonation process in membrane contactors. For the machine learning modeling, we investigated the performance of boosted models, specifically AdaBoost KNN, AdaBoost DT, and AdaBoost ARD, for predicting the concentration (C) of ozone using the input variables, i.e., r and z. The hyper-parameter optimization is done using Successive Halving in this study. The results reveal that AdaBoost KNN achieves the highest performance among the three models, with an impressive R2 score of 0.9992. This indicates an excellent fit of the model to the data, implying that approximately 99.92% of the variance in the concentration can be explained by the input variables r and z. Moreover, AdaBoost KNN demonstrates a low RMSE of 1.5695E-02, indicating its ability to provide accurate predictions with small deviations from the actual values. The maximum error of 1.02733E-01 further confirms the model's robustness, as it represents the largest deviation between predicted and CFD values, which is relatively small. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

Finding new drug-delivery materials has attracted considerable interest from many researchers in recent years. Herein, systematic investigation of the metformin interaction with the surface of pristine B12N12 and group I metals (Li, Na, and K) encapsulation nanoclusters was carried out at B3LYP/631++ (d, p) level of theory based on the DFT calculations. MF molecule has two nucleophilic sites, NH and NH2 groups. The trapping of Li, Na, and K atoms affected the HOMO–LUMO gaps of the considered configurations and the electronic properties of considered complexes. Besides, it is noticed that presence of alkali metals remarkably increased the absorption energies of MF-B12N12 to −2.14, −2.24, −2.30, and −2.38 for B12N12, Li@B12N12, Na@B12N12, and K@B12N12 respectively. In addition, DOS plots show a decrease in Egap by the addition of alkali metals and therefore an increase in reactivity of the considered configurations, which is confirmed by the decrease in total hardness. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

This paper presents a new semi-analytical method, called the Adomian Decomposition Method (ADM), as well as Finite Element Methods, to study forced Reiner-Rivlin non-Newtonian Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) fluid motion confined between two disks. The innovation presented in this paper is the utilization of both analytical and numerical methods, namely ADM and FEM, to solve coupled linear differential equations, which enables the calculation and examination of parameters such as heat transfer and fluid velocity between the two disks by simplifying these equations. This model incorporates the magnetic field, and the system of partial differential equations (PDEs) acts as the governing equation in this study, which are then transformed into a set of non-linear ordinary differential equations (ODEs) using von Karman analog variables. The Adomian decomposition method can be used to solve ODEs that are related to boundary conditions. The main findings of this article suggest that as the dimensionless force parameter increases, the displacement of the fluid velocity decreases, as the particles collide with each other, the temperature gradient around the disks decreases inversely. Moreover, when the stress tensor increases, the heat transfer rate reaches its maximum value, and the transverse velocity gradient between different disks decreases. © 2023 THE AUTHORS

In the present study, the adsorption mechanism and capacity of FeNi3/SiO2/CuS magnetic nanocomposite, as a catalyst, for metronidazole (MTZ) antibiotic degradation were investigated. The degradation reaction was performed using an integrated treatment system comprised of Fenton-like and UV-photocatalytic processes. Various material analyses such as field-emission scanning electron microscope, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray diffraction, and vibrating-sample magnetometer were employed to prove the successful synthesis of the used catalyst and to gather information about its surface and structural properties. The characterization results showed that the nanocomposite used in this study was superparamagnetic (20 emu/g) and its crystal size was 26 and its particle size was about 64 nm. In addition, the effects of pH 3, 5, 7, 9, and 11, catalyst dosage FeNi3/SiO2/CuS 0.005–0.1 g/L, initial metronidazole concentration 10–30 mg/L, contact time 5–200 min, and hydrogen peroxide content 50–200 mg/L, were studied. The FeNi3/SiO2/CuS in the proposed treatment system was operated with MTZ degradation efficiency reach to 100% during the first 60 min of the degradation process. After the sixth cycle of regeneration processes, the FeNi3/SiO2/CuS lost only 5% of its degradation ability (from 100% to 96.83%). The degradation efficiency of the chemical oxygen demand (COD) parameter was tested which is remarkably enhanced to ~74% during degradation time of 200 min. Also, the analysis of COD on real wastewater at this time showed a reduction of about 65.8% during this process under optimal reaction conditions. The adsorption followed a pseudo-first-order kinetic equation (R2 ≥ 0.9). Taking the results of this study, the FeNi3/SiO2/CuS shows a potential application as a catalyst for MTZ degradation using photocatalytic combined with a Fenton-like treatment system. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.

An important step in developing clean energy technologies is to develop highly active and economical electrocatalysts for overall water splitting. Owing to the electronic structures of various non-noble metal single-atom electrocatalysts, they have low catalytic performance for H2O splitting. Within this study, the electronic structure and catalytic activity toward oxygen evolution reaction (OER) as well as hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) improved through iron (Fe) doping according to density functional theory computations. The OER, HER, electronic properties, and stability of Fe-doped graphyne-like BN-yne nanosheets (Fe@BN-yneNSs) were scrutinized. The results demonstrated that the HER and OER were significantly affected by the Fe-induced charge redistribution onto the Fe@BN-yneNS surface. In addition to raising the catalytic activity of Fe@BN-yneNS for HER and increasing its active sites, the charge density induced by Fe weakened the chemical adhesion of oxygenated species and significantly decreased the OER overpotential. These make Fe@BN-yneNS an encouraging bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting. The current study provides useful insights into tuning the electronic structures of electrocatalysts and enhancing their catalytic activity. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd

Cardiovascular diseases are unfortunately one of the leading causes of death in today's society. It is important to analyze blood flow in various parts of the circulatory system. The coronary artery is made up of four main arteries, and the left coronary artery is responsible for delivering blood to the heart muscle. This research utilizes computational fluid dynamics and finite element methods to investigate and analyze coronary vessels by studying changes in blood characteristics. The aim of this study is to analyze and model the flow of blood under different conditions of the coronary vessels, with a particular focus on the vessels on the left side. This is in response to changes in hematocrit, which can cause an increase or decrease in blood viscosity (μp) (N.s/m2). In general, by applying condition flexibility for the vessel, it is possible to reduce pressure distribution on the wall when compared to the rigid model. When considering changes in viscosity (μ) (kg/m. s), such as an increase from 0.0029 to 0.0067, this can lead to changes in the shear stress distribution (N/m2) on the wall. Specifically, this increase in blood viscosity (μp) (N.s/m2) causes maximum tension, resulting in the wall shear WSS (N/m2) rising from 60 to 154 Pascal's, which is a 140% increase. Based on the current data, it appears that there is a high flow pressure in the artery, resulting in maximum relative pressure values of 6300 and 6450 Pascal's for the rigid and flexible models, respectively, at the separating joint of the bifurcation. © 2023 THE AUTHORS

Developing economical and highly active electrocatalysts for water splitting is generally critical for improvement of next-generation green energy technologies. Several single atomic non-noble metal catalysts provide satisfactory water splitting catalytic proficiency due to their natural electronic structures. Herein, by employing density functional theory (DFT) computation, a Ni-doping strategy is done to straight tune catalyst activity and electronic structure for hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER). Electronic attributes, persistence and HER in addition to OER catalytic operations of Ni@BN-yne catalyst are investigated by carefully manipulating nickel-doping in graphyne-like BN-yne (BN-yne) nanosheets. It has been found that HER and OER efficiency depends on nickel-induced charge redistribution on the Ni@BN-yne catalyst area. Nickel-induced charge density weakens chemicad adsorption of oxygenated species and considerably reductions OER overpotential as well as grows active sites number on Ni@BN-yne and boosts its activity of catalyst in HER and makes Ni@BN-yne a hopeful bifunctional electrocatalyst to employ in water splitting process. Present research provides a practical approach for researchers to fine-tune electronic structures of catalysts and meliorate catalytic activity. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

By increasing the efficiency of heating systems, more heat flux can be transferred in a certain dimension, thus lowering the operating temperature, or a specific heat flux can be transferred using a smaller heat exchanger. In this study, the flow of a Newtonian nanofluid in a square cavity containing a heating element filled with a porous medium is simulated under the effect of a uniform magnetic field in different rotation angles. The finite volume method (FVM) and two-phase mixture model were used. Water is used as the base fluid and Al2O3 nanoparticles are used as the solid nanoparticles. The heating element inside the cavity, which is filled with porous medium with porosity percentage ε moves up or down to the width of the element. The fields of velocity, streamlines, and temperature are physically plotted, and Nusselt number and entropy generations diagrams are plotted. The results show that the change in the angle of the cavity and the change in position of the heating element on the hot wall have significant effects on the physical patterns. Other results indicate that with increasing volume fraction of nanoparticles and Rayleigh number (Ra), Nusselt number increases. Also, increasing the volume fraction of nanoparticles and Hartmann number (Ha) decreases the entropy generation due to heat transfer and increases the entropy generation due to friction. Also, it was found that in the cavity without a heating element, with increasing θ, the amount of local velocity increases in more places; so that, in case A and θ=90°, it reaches its maximum value in the cavity without a heating element. As can be seen, by placing the heating element at θ=0°, the maximum local velocity occurs above the heating element. Gradually, this value decreases with increasing the angle of the cavity filled with the porous medium relative to the x-axis to reach its minimum value in the cavity with θ=90°. © 2023

Using Pt loaded on semiconductor supports have created new opportunities for improving catalytic performance when exposed to light. This study used the photo-deposition method to create platinum loaded on TiO2, which was then examined using TEM, ICP, X-ray diffraction, BET analysis, and CO chemisorption. The effect of loading of Pt on P25 under UV light based on photocatalytic activity was assessed and compared, resulting facilitate the electron transfer from Pt to titanium element, which in turn facilitates the aerobic oxidation of C7H8O. Benzotrifluoride (BTF) was used as a solvent in the benzyl alcohol photooxidation. Different loading of Pt on P25 was investigated and the range between 1 wt.% to 3 wt.% Pt–TiO2 through photo-deposition method gave the highest photocatalytic activity (⁓5.8 gcat−1 h−1) than others because of the size of platinum, the surface area of sample and dispersion. The platinum particle size over 1 nm (less than 1nm not enough energy for electron transfer) to and less than 4 nm (over 4 nm cover semiconductor's active sites) were given the highest activity for benzyl alcohol oxidation. The surface area of the sample is increasing with increasing platinum loading before agglomeration is happening. Higher surface area caused more active sites and active species for adsorption and desorption, resulting in better activity. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.

This study focuses on the behavior of the Carbon Nanotube (CNT)-C20 system as a nano-pumping configuration for drug delivery processes. The system was modeled using a molecular dynamics (MD) method, and the effects of external heat flux and silicon doping were investigated. The predicted MD outputs showed high stability throughout the nanopumping process, even when different ratios of external heat flux were applied. The entropy value of the CNT-C20 system decreases from 412.91 to 403.394 eV/K as the heat flux increases to 0.03 W/m2. Also, the kinetic energy of the target atomic sample increased from 3.50 to 5.42 eV as heat flux increased. This kinetic energy enlarging occurred for the translational component of the target molecule's kinetic energy, and the rotational component didn't change effectively. Additionally, the results show that increasing atomic doping of silicon particles from 1 to 3 % decreased the displacement time of C20 molecule (7.22 ps for a 3 % doping ratio), indicating that atomic doping may also improve the nano-pumping process. By increasing Si doping to 3 %, the potential energy decreased, and the stability of the defined compound was reduced. This procedure caused the target molecule to not stabilize inside the nanotube sample, and this molecule displaced inside the deliverer system in less time. However, the negative ratio of potential energy showed physical stability of the total system wasn't disrupted. With further doping increase to 5 %, the defined compound's potential energy increased and stability enlarged. This process can be delayed nano-pumping procedure. Overall, the outcomes of this simulation provide insights into the optimal method for pumping fluids at the nanoscale and for drug delivery systems. These findings have practical implications for developing more efficient and effective drug delivery technologies that can help improve patient outcomes. © 2023 The Author(s)

Complete degradation of acid blue 113 (AB113) dye was successfully achieved by using the sonophotocatalytic process with CoFe2O4 nanoparticles loaded on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs/CoFe2O4), as a novel catalyst. The catalyst used was synthesized using the solvothermal co-precipitation method. First, the characteristic parameters of the synthesized catalyst were evaluated using advanced analyses of Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDX), Thermogravimetric (TGA), Vibrating Sample Magnetometry (VSM), and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The results of the sonophotocatalytic degradation experiments showed that the optimum parameters for 100% AB113 removal were: AB113 concentration = 25 mg/L, pH = 3, MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 dose = 0.4 g/L, reaction time = 40 min, intensity of UV light = 36 W, and intensity of ultrasonic waves = 50 kHz. To identify the utility of using MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 as a catalyst, the degradation efficiencies of AB113, resulting from the sonophotocatalytic process, were compared with those determined from other similar treatment processes, that is, adsorption, photolysis, sonolysis, and sonocatalytic and photocatalytic processes, where the sonophotocatalytic process was found to be the most efficient one. Catalyst recycling was performed in eight degradation–regeneration cycles, whereas, a total reduction of 9% was observed in removal efficiency after the 8th cycle. The results showed that the AB113 dye, which was a non-biodegradable contaminant, became almost a biodegradable compound after subjection to sonophotocatalytic treatment. The results also demonstrated a high mineralization rate of the applied treatment method. In addition, a toxicity test was performed using Daphna Magna, and the results indicated a low toxicity of the AB113 dye effluent. The results of this study clarified that the sonophotocatalytic process system using MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 could be a feasible and cost-effective system for degrading dyes, for example, AB113. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.

In this study, the adsorption performance and characterization properties of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes were improved by coating this material with CoFe2O4 nanoparticles. The resultant adsorbent (MWCNTs/CoFe2O4) was first synthesized using solvothermal co-precipitation and Electrophoretic precipitation methods, characterized, then used in the adsorption system of Bisphenol A (BPA) wastewater. The influence of pH (3–11), initial BPA concentration (25–100 mg/L), MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 dosage (0.1–1.5 g/L), contact time (0–240 min), and temperature (283–328 K) on BPA removal adsorption onto MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 was investigated. Better results for BPA removal ( 99%) were achieved in acidic conditions (pH = 3), and the equilibrium state was reached at 150 min of contact time. The Langmuir and pseudo-second order models were suitable to describe the adsorption isotherm and kinetics, as verified by goodness-of-fit analysis. The adsorption of BPA molecules onto MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 active groups was occurred via chemisorption interaction, based on the analyses of Dubinin-Radushkevitch and Freundlich isotherms. Moreover, the endothermic, favorable, and spontaneous nature of BPA adsorption onto MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 was proved by thermodynamic studies. Reusing MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 after 6 cycles showed a ten percent reduction in adsorption capacity, which indicates the good stability and reusability. The maximum adsorption capacity of MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 for BPA adsorption from Langmuir model was 416.6 mg/g, which is much higher than that of reported other adsorbents used for the same purpose. This study revealed that MWCNTs/CoFe2O4 is a promising adsorbent for BPA adsorption with high removal efficiency, easy separation, and good reusability properties. © 2022 The Society of Powder Technology Japan

In this study, copper–nickel ferrite (CuNiFe2O4) nanoparticles were successfully loaded onto multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by using the coprecipitation method and used as new catalysts (MWCNT–CuNiFe2O4) in the sonophotocatalytic degradation process of the acid blue 113 (AB113) dye. The success of the MWCNT–CuNiFe2O4 synthesis and its properties were determined by analyzing it using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). A high efficiency of dye removal (100%), total organic carbon (93%), and chemical oxygen demand (95%) were achieved with the following conditions: pH of dye solution = 5, MWCNT–CuNiFe2O4 dosage = 0.6 g/L, AB113 dye concentration = 50 mg/L, UV light intensity = 36 W, ultrasonic wave frequency = 35 kHz, and treatment time = 30 min. The kinetic results revealed that the efficiency of the sonophotocatalytic process using MWCNT–CuNiFe2O4 was higher than that of the sonolysis, photolysis, photocatalysis, and sonocatalysis processes. Scavenging studies demonstrated that the holes (h+) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) were the main reactive species for the AB113 dye degradation. The stability and recyclability of MWCNT–CuNiFe2O4 were confirmed with eight consecutive cycles for a maximum efficiency of more than 92%. The high rate of BOD5/COD indicated that the sonophotocatalytic process had the potential to degrade the dye into degradable compounds. The toxicity study with an Escherichia coli growth inhibition rate emphasized that MWCNT–CuNiFe2O4 in the sonophotocatalytic degradation process of the AB113 dye had a significant effect on reducing toxicity, when compared to processes of photolysis and photocatalysis. During the sonophotocatalytic process using MWCNT–CuNiFe2O4, the AB113 dye was mineralized into CO2, H2O, NH4+, NO3−, and SO42−. The results of the present study proved that the MWCNT–CuNiFe2O4-based sonophotocatalytic process was a promising dye degradation technology to protect the aquatic environment. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.

Considering the risk associated with exposure to benzene and toluene in water resources, researchers have been motivated to conduct studies to remove them from aqueous solutions. Thus, by performing the present study, the potential of Fe3O4/zeolite imidazolate framework nanoparticles (Fe3O4@ZIF-8) was evaluated for the adsorption of benzene and toluene. Accordingly, the solution pH, Fe3O4@ZIF-8 dosage, mixing time, concentration of benzene and toluene, and temperature, were the parameters considered for conducting the batch experiments, for which their effect on adsorption efficiency was evaluated. Our conducted experiments introduced the neutral pH as the best pH range to obtain the maximum removal. Fitting the adsorption data into the various models revealed the aptness of the Langmuir isotherm equation in describing experimental information and highest adsorption capacity; for benzene it was 129.4, 134.2, 137.3, and 148.2 mg g−1, but for toluene it was 118.4, 125.2, 129.6, and 133.1 mg g−1, for temperature 20, 30, 40, and 50 °C, respectively. Using obtained optimal conditions, the adsorption efficiencies of benzene and toluene were obtained to be 98.4% and 93.1%, respectively. Kinetic studies showed acceptable coefficients for PSO kinetics and confirmed its suitability. Also, the recyclability results showed that for six consecutive periods of the adsorption-desorption process, the percentage of removal decreased by only 6% for benzene and toluene. Moreover, calculating thermodynamic parameter changes for benzene and toluene removal confirmed the favorability and spontaneity of the studied process and its endothermic nature. Considering the above findings, Fe3O4@ZIF-8 was found to be an operative adsorbent for removing pollutants. © 2022 by the authors.

Adopting the hydrothermal method, the cobalt ferrite nanocomposite was loaded onto graphene (G–CoFe2O4) and the material thus produced was first characterized and then employed as a sonophotocatalyst to assist in the degradation of diazinon (DZN) at different operational parameters. Further, response surface methodology was used for the optimization and modeling of the operational parameters. From the statistical analysis of the analysis of variance (ANOVA), the quadratic model was observed to give a good fit with the experimental data, barring the catalyst dose (P value = 0.194) and the initial concentration of DZN (P value = 0.20), significantly affected the efficiency of the DZN degradation. Complete DZN degradation was achieved under the conditions of pH 3, time 100 min, DZN concentration 10 mg/L, temperature 50 °C, and the G–CoFe2O4 dose of 0.99 g/L. Reduction in the DZN degradation rate was observed, falling below 10% during the eight consecutive cycles, giving proof of the stability and adequate recyclability of the G–CoFe2O4. Biodegradability related to the five–day biochemical oxygen demand/chemical oxygen demand (BOD5/COD) ratio increased from 0.15 to 0.58, with the corresponding 90.95% total organic carbon (TOC) and 96.41% COD being removed. The toxicity evaluated using the inhibition growth rate of Escherichia coli (E. coli) showed high ability of the suggested treatment system to lower the toxicity, when compared to photocatalysis and photolysis. On using the analytical methods, the presence of the mineral ions such as NH4+, NO3−, SO42−, and PO43− appeared to act as good indicators of mineralization. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

Hexadecyltrimethylammonium-bromide-activated zeolite nanoparticles coated with copper sulfide (ZEO/HDTMA-Br/CuS) was evaluated as a photocatalyst under sunlight for the degradation of metronidazole (MET). The surface and structural characteristics of ZEO/HDTMA-Br/CuS and other materials used in this study were analyzed using field emission-scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared and ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area and Barrett–Joyner–Halenda pore size and volume analyses, and pH of zero charge test. ZEO/HDTMA-Br/CuS exhibited excellent surface and structural catalytic properties. For a comprehensive study of the degradation process, several parameters, such as the pH (3–11), MET concentration (10–30 mg/L), ZEO/HDTMA-Br/CuS dose (0.005–0.1 g/L), reaction time (5–200 min), and H2O2 concentration (50–200 mg/L), were optimized. ZEO/HDTMA-Br/CuS achieved 100% degradation efficiency when 10 mg/L MET was used under the optimum conditions: pH = 7, ZEO/HDTMA-Br/CuS dose = 0.01 g/L, and reaction time = 180 min. The degradation efficiency increased when the concentration of H2O2 was increased from 50 to 150 mg/L and decreased with further increase to 200 mg/L, indicating that the efficiency of MET degradation highly depends on the concentration of H2O2 in an aqueous solution. The degradation kinetics analysis revealed that the degradation is of the pseudo first-order. Thus, ZEO/HDTMA-Br/CuS proved to be an exceptional catalyst for the photodegradation of MET in aqueous media. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

In this work, a hematite/porous graphite carbon-nitride (α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4) catalyst was synthesized through the doping of hematite loaded onto porous graphite carbon-nitride using a heat treatment process. Then, the ability of catalyst was evaluated to degrade diazinon (DZN) for the first time, mainly via the sonophotocatalytic process. Among the samples, the greatest DZN degradation was observed in the sonophotocatalytic system, which separated 100% of DZN from the aqueous solution after 50 min, while the removal percentages for the sonocatalytic, photocatalytic, and adsorption systems were 72.9, 89.1, and 58.1%, respectively. The results of scavengers showed that both sulfate and hydroxyl radicals (•OH) participated in removing DZN, although positive holes and negative •OH played a major role. Moreover, the removal efficiencies of the target pollutant using the sonophotocatalytic process were higher than those using the photocatalytic, sonocatalytic, and adsorption processes. The reaction profile followed pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the reaction rate coefficient for the sonophotocatalytic system was 2.2 times higher than that of the photocatalytic system and 2.64 times higher than that of the sonocatalytic system. The energy consumption of the sonophotocatalytic system after 60 min was 11.6 kWh/m3, while it was 31.1 kWh/m3 for the photocatalytic system. A DZN removal percentage of 100% was obtained after 50 min under the following conditions: UV intensity of 36 watts, ultrasound frequency of 36 kHz, DZN concentration of 50 mg/L at pH 5, and α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 dosage of 0.4 g/L. The catalyst reusability was examined with only a 9.9% reduction in efficiency after eight consecutive cycles. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic compound (TOC) removal percentages were 95.6% and 88.6%, respectively, and the five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5)/COD ratio was 0.16 at the beginning of the degradation process and 0.69 at the end of the process. In addition, toxicological experiments showed that degradation of DZN by the sonophotocatalytic process exhibited low toxicity. All results confirmed that the sonophotocatalytic process using α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4 was a highly efficient process for DZN pollutant removal from liquid wastes. © 2022 by the authors.

The aim of this study was to synthesize activated carbon from canola stalks and then magnetize it with Fe3O4 (ACCS-Fe3O4) nanoparticles and evaluate it to remove fluoride (F−) from water. First, the used adsorbent was analyzed and characterized using advanced techniques. Then, the influence of important parameters as the pH, initial fluoride concentration, adsorbent’s dose, contact time, and temperature was investigated. The adsorption isotherms of Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin, and Dubinin -Radushkevic (D-R) were analyzed in both linear and nonlinear forms using four error coefficients (SSE, HYDRID, X2, and MSPD). Langmuir isotherm was found to be the best-fitted model in both linear and nonlinear forms due to its high regression coefficient and lower error coefficient. The results showed that the removal efficiency increased with increasing contact time, adsorbent’s dose, and temperature, but decreased with increasing fluoride concentration and pH. Adsorbent recovery and reuse were studied and the results showed that only 8% reduction in efficiency was observed after six sequential cycles, which indicates the high performance of the adsorbent after recovery. It was also found that the adsorption of fluoride ions on ACCS-Fe3O4 was endothermic (ΔH0 = 69.38 kJ/mol) and spontaneous (ΔG0 = − 2.78–10.31 kJ/mol) process. The adsorption process was better described by fitting to the pseudo-second order kinetic model (PSO). Fluoride adsorption is controlled by all three models of bulk diffusion, film diffusion, and pore diffusion. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

In the present work, we examined the UV-photocatalytic process of tetracycline degradation using the prepared nano-bentonite activated with hexadecyltrimethylammonium and coated with zinc oxide nanoparticles (HDTMA–BEN/ZnO) as a catalyst. The catalyst was analyzed and characterized using several analytical methods, including field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method, diffuse reflection spectroscopy (DRS), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The HDTMA–BEN/ZnO catalyst exhibited good efficiency for tetracycline degradation, with complete degradation at a pH of 9, tetracycline concentration of 20 mg/L, HDTMA–BEN/ZnO dose of 0.005 g/L, and reaction time of 180 min. From the results of the tetracycline degradation study, the degradation kinetics were consistent with the pseudo-first-order (PFO) equation. Moreover, from the reusability test results, the degradation after six cycles showed a mere 9% efficiency reduction. Furthermore, the removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total organic carbon (TOC) were 77.45% and 59.11%, respectively, implying that the suggested method resulted in a high mineralization rate. In conclusion, the UV-photocatalytic process using the HDTMA–BEN/ZnO catalyst exhibited appreciable effectiveness and applicability for the treatment of antibiotic-containing wastewater released from the pharmaceutical and industrial processes. © 2022 Elsevier Ltd

In the present study, the objective was to probe the capacity of the Fe2O3/Bentonite/TiO2 (Fe2O3/B/TiO2) nanoparticles to act as a catalyst in degrading the reactive red 198 (RR198) dye and textile factory wastewater, utilizing irradiation with visible and UV light. The efficiency of this degradation was studied for a variety of experimental parameters by employing real samples of textile wastewater. After 60 min of reaction time, complete degradation of the target pollutant was visible using the synthesized catalyst, i.e., Fe2O3/B/TiO2, under UV light; the same effect was noted after 90 min under visible light. Further, the ease of separation and quick collection of the synthesized Fe2O3/B/TiO2 can result in keeping the photocatalytic efficiency high, as well as raising the reusability. The photocatalytic processes under UV and visible light were found capable of converting the non-biodegradable textile wastewater into biodegradable one. Besides, with the introduction of Daphnia manga, the toxicity of the effluent was examined. Through photocatalysis, utilizing both techniques, the dye toxicity in the solution was fully neutralized, and the intensity of toxicity of the textile effluent was lowered by around 70%. The conclusion drawn in this study showed that the synthesized catalyst displayed good efficiency in removing organic compounds from the textile effluents by both photocatalytic processes using UV and visible light. © 2022 by the authors.

In this study, we investigated the influence of a novel magnetic activated carbon (MAC) nanocom-posite coated with CuS (MAC/CuS) on the successful removal of tetracycline (TC) molecules from aqueous solutions via adsorption. The physical and structural properties of the synthesized sorbent were determined using the field-emission scanning electron microscopy, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and vibrating-sample magnetometer techniques. Equilibrium isotherms and adsorption kinetics were studied. Additionally, the effects of pH (3, 5, 7, and 9), TC concentration (5–100 mg/L), MAC/CuS dosage (0.025–2.5 g), temperature (5°C, 10°C, 20°C, 40°C, and 50°C), and contact time (from inception to 200 min) were extensively examined. Our results revealed that the highest TC removal percentage was approximately 70% under optimal conditions (pH = 9, contact time = 200 min, nanocomposite dosage = 2 g/L, and temperature = 20°C). Modelling of the experimental data using isothermal models indicated that the TC adsorption process followed the Temkin model. Thermodynamic analyses revealed that the adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic. A kinetic study demonstrated that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model was best for describing TC adsorption. This work presents a magnetic activated carbon nanocomposite coated with CuS as a high-efficiency adsorbent for the remediation of wastewater loaded with TC. © 2022 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.

This study offers a comprehensive investigation into the efficiency of the degradation of acid blue 80 (AB80) dye by utilizing a system that uses ultraviolet (UV) radiation combined with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and persulfate (PS) oxidants (UV/PS/H2O2). The degradation reactions were performed under different PS and H2O2 concentrations, initial AB80 dye concentrations, pH values, UV intensities, and contact times. The results revealed that the UV/H2O2 system provided the best performance at a pH of 5, while the best performance for the UV/PS and UV/PS/H2O2 systems was obtained at a pH of 7. In addition, 15 mmol was found to be the optimum concentration for both oxidants. The efficiency of the combined process of UV/PS/H2O2 was higher than those of the other two processes, UV/PS and UV/H2O2, which was 98.2% for a dye concentration of 25 mg/L. Furthermore, the five-day biochemical oxygen demand/chemical oxygen demand (BOD5/COD) ratios at the beginning and end of the UV/PS/H2O2 process were 0.19 and 0.52, respectively, indicating the conversion of nonbiodegradable dye molecules to biodegradable compounds. A toxicity test was performed using the bioassay method with Daphnia magna, with a 90% reduction in toxicity was observed for the effluent. The 50% lethal concentration (LC50) was found to be 4.7 mg/L for the dye solution. The results also revealed that the degradation data adhere to pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the reaction rate constant was higher for the UV/PS/H2O2 system than for the other systems. The rate of mineralization by this process was 0.92. Scavenging studies also showed that both sulfate (SO4·-) and hydroxyl (·OH) radicals played an important role in the degradation process. The energy consumption in the UV/H2O2, UV/PS, and UV/PS/H2O2 processes was 61, 47.8, and 20.8 kWh/m3, respectively. In conclusion, UV/PS/H2O2 is an effective and applicable process for the treatment of dyes in wastewater, particularly when the medium is neutral. © 2022, The Joint Center on Global Change and Earth System Science of the University of Maryland and Beijing Normal University.

In the current study, a magnetic copper ferrite/montmorillonite (CuFe2O4/MMT) nanocomposite was successfully fabricated by a simple sol-gel combustion method which was used as a catalyst for ciprofloxacin (CIP) degradation in the sonophotocatalytic degradation process. The characterization properties were identified using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunner-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Results showed that the CIP degradation rate of the sonophotocatalytic method was higher than other methods like photocatalytic and sonocatalytic. Mineralization and biodegradability of CIP were determined by the TOC test and BOD5/COD ratio. The results showed that the mineralization rate of CIP rose to 92%, and biodegradability rose from 0.163 to 0.697 at the end of the sonophotocatalytic process. Rate of recyclability and reusability of the catalyst was also investigated in the 8 cycles, but no significant reduction in the removal rate was noted. Experiments using various scavengers revealed that SO4•- and •OH were the main radicals in the sonophotocatalytic degradation of CIP. In addition, the bioassay method using Daphnia magna was used to test toxicity. Results showed that the toxicity of the tested solutions was significantly reduced after sonophotocatalytic degradation. In conclusion, the combined sonophotocatalytic system with CuFe2O4/MMT catalyst could be a new and promising approach as a pretreatment technique to facilitate the biological treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.

The present study evaluates the degradation ability of FeNi3 /SiO2 /TiO2 magnetic nanocomposite as a catalyst for degrading humic acid molecules in a photocatalytic process using simulated solar light-induced by light-emitting diode (LED) illumination. The morphology and structural properties of the used catalyst and the physiochemical factors influencing humic acid degradation (solution pH, catalyst dose, humic acid concentration, and reaction time) were examined in detail. In addition, the kinetics reaction type and mechanism of humic acid degradation were studied. Results showed that the suggested treatment method was efficient during the degradation of humic acid molecules, with non-toxic chemicals generated at the end of degradation, namely carbon dioxide and water. In addition, a degradation efficiency of 89% was achieved under optimal conditions. Compared with other similar methods, this study demonstrated that the interaction between FeNi3 /SiO2 /TiO2 and LED solar light effectively degraded humic acid in an eco-friendly manner. The degradation reaction kinetics can be mathematically represented by a pseudo-first-order formula. The used catalyst can be recycled in the suggested treatment system six times with negligible losses in its degradation capacity. This study is necessary to understand how photocatalytic treatments using FeNi3 /SiO2 /TiO2 magnetic nanocomposite particles can be applied for advanced wastewater purification of humic acid. © 2021 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved.